Assassin's Creed Black Flag - Y'ar, etc.

Don't worry - he's not in it.

A yearly Assassin's Creed installment has become as inevitable as death, taxes and Call of Duty. The last few titles in the renaissance-bothering sneak 'em up series have been largely formulaic, so the news that this year Ubisoft would be shaking things up up by setting the centuries old struggle between Assassins and Templars against a swash buckling, open world high seas background of skulls, crossbones and more than a few walked planks, was welcome indeed. 

Things get off to a pretty 'Creed by numbers start, with the series's tried and true sneaking mechanics introduced and explained through a slightly tedious prologue. Edward is very nimble, and controlling him is easy, as holding down a single button while running towards obstacles allows him to traverse them instantly, whatever form they take - a far cry from the joypad gymnastics required by some similar titles. The only issue with such a simplified control scheme is that accidentally clipping scenery often causes Edward to clumsily scramble up a building you didn't want him to or worse, back flip into the path of perusing guards. Only when you finally take to the high seas, a grimacing jolly roger flapping in the wind and crew singing jolly sea shanties, do things become interesting.

It wouldn't be fair to say that you get quite the same free reign here as you do in something like Skyrim, as the monolithic galleons that patrol some of the main quests's late game areas would sink your own ship as it is when you first steal it in the blink of an eye, effectively making large areas of the game world impassable at first, but the feeling of freedom you get chasing the horizon in your own vessel is truly exhilarating, even it does start life as a glorified rowboat. There's tons of side activities, a lengthy main quest, plus much fun to be had simply plundering anything unlucky enough to be caught in your spyglass. The ship to ship combat feels fresher than really it is; exchanging high speed cannonballs over Davy Jones's locker isn't an experience many games offer these days, but ultimately there's nothing particularly innovative about the gameplay therein.

On Playstation 4, the game looks mostly excellent, with rich bloom effects and smooth, crisp shadows that make a pleasant change from the blocky messes you'd find on older hardware. However, the occasional jarring anomaly such as heavily aliasing rigging on ships in the distance and the odd duff texture here and there means that the PC version, when paired with appropriately beefy hardware, still offers the best experience from a purely aesthetic perspective. This is disappointing to see so early into the Playstation 4's lifespan.

Such superficial concerns are hardly a deal-breaker, though, and the bottom line is; whatever Assassin's Creed Black Flag may lack in tangible gameplay innovation, it makes up for in scope, fun factor and it's unusual setting, at least in gaming terms. What are you waiting for, land lover?